South Korea’s Ki leaves relegated Swansea

South Korean international midfielder Ki Sung-yueng announced on Monday he will leave Swansea City under freedom of contract in the wake of the Welsh side’s relegation to the Championship.

Ki, 29, made 162 appearances for the club, scoring 12 goals, and helped Swansea win the club’s only major honour by lifting the League Cup in 2012-13.

“It was a great privilege to play for Swansea for 5 years,” Ki wrote on Instagram. “Just want to say thanks to all Swansea fans who always gave passionate support to us every single game.”

Ki is set to feature for South Korea at the World Cup in Russia next month, but leaves the Swans back in the second tier of English football after a 2-1 home loss to Stoke on Sunday confirmed their relegation.

“Last couple of years personally I felt sorry to the fans about our inconsistent performance on the pitch and really feel frustrated and disappointed about what happened to us,” he added.

“But I believe Swansea will come back stronger and will find the philosophy of Swansea football club for the fans.”